My co-op teacher's style is very relaxed and friendly. He is a firm believer that a teacher shouldn't enforce his/her style too strictly on the students. He thinks that it's better to be a little more relaxed yet firm to make the students cooperate with you. He told me on the first day that if I'm going to go "head-to-head" with the students right in the beginning and be overly strict, then the students will lose their desire to want to learn anything from me. In order to have the students' respect, my teacher respects them and treats them very much like equals. I would say that my co-op teacher nurtures a kind of relationship with his students that is based on mutual respect. He really treats the students nicely and speaks to them as if they were adults. He also fosters a friendly and at times funny classroom environment.
I think that his students perceive him as being in charge of the classroom. However, I don't think that they are intimated or scared by him or think of him as an enforcer. The students definitely see him as having power but I think that they also feel that they have power as well. For example, when performing lab activities, the students are allowed to choose their lab partners and they are allowed to work anywhere in the class. The teacher gives them these choices and doesn't strictly pair them up or make them always sit at the same lab bench.
I see that my teacher's style is quite consistent across the different classes he teaches. He seems to treat all of his students with respect and have an easy, friendly, and at times fun classroom atmosphere.
REFLECTION
I really enjoy observing in this teacher's classes. I always feel comfortable and I sense that the students feel comfortable with him as well as with me. A big part of it is the fact that the teacher is easy going yet firm when it comes to staying on task and performing school work. I definitely would like to gravitate towards being a firm teacher and still having an ease and approachability about myself. I'd like to have a classroom where students feel safe and comfortable. I'd like the students to perceive me as strict but fair, and also as a teacher who is interested in them and who has a relaxed and easy classroom atmosphere.
Curtis Corner Middle School
OBSERVATION
My co-op teacher's style at this school is also very relaxed and friendly. However, she is a bit stricter and a bit more in control of the classroom as the high school teacher I'm observing. This teacher is extremely focused on the content to be taught and she is not very easly distracted. Her relationship with her students is still very nurturing and warm (they are only 6th graders). She is kind with them but she definitely stays focused on teaching the content. I think that the students perceive her as having almost all of the power in the classroom. However, they don't feel inferior to her. For example, if they've forgotten their science folder in the locker, the teacher always lets them leave the class to go get it. She doesn't scold them for it or punish them in any way. She simply asks them to quickly get their folder and return to the class to learn. The students are young and it's their first year in a middle school. I can tell that they are trying very hard and that they really like their teacher and are trying to please her by being very studious. Her style doesn't vary between classrooms, it stays the same throughout different classes.
REFLECTION
I also really enjoy observing in this teacher's classroom. I feel that I'm getting more experience in classroom management by observing her. In addition, I am learning how staying focused on the topic helps students learn better. For example, this teacher has a simple outline of the lesson on the board and she really follows it quite perfectly. Throughout the lesson, she refers to the board to sort of keep herself paced and to make sure that she's covering what she is supposed to. I think that students are also benefiting from this. They know what is to be learned and they know the order. They also see that the teacher follows the plan. I feel that this creates order and clarity in the class. Also, the teacher is really friendly and very kind with the students. I would like to incorporate some of her teaching strategies in my future classroom. Namely her strong sense of focus and her kindness toward her students.
OBSERVATION
My co-op teacher's style is very relaxed and friendly. He is a firm believer that a teacher shouldn't enforce his/her style too strictly on the students. He thinks that it's better to be a little more relaxed yet firm to make the students cooperate with you. He told me on the first day that if I'm going to go "head-to-head" with the students right in the beginning and be overly strict, then the students will lose their desire to want to learn anything from me. In order to have the students' respect, my teacher respects them and treats them very much like equals. I would say that my co-op teacher nurtures a kind of relationship with his students that is based on mutual respect. He really treats the students nicely and speaks to them as if they were adults. He also fosters a friendly and at times funny classroom environment.
I think that his students perceive him as being in charge of the classroom. However, I don't think that they are intimated or scared by him or think of him as an enforcer. The students definitely see him as having power but I think that they also feel that they have power as well. For example, when performing lab activities, the students are allowed to choose their lab partners and they are allowed to work anywhere in the class. The teacher gives them these choices and doesn't strictly pair them up or make them always sit at the same lab bench.
I see that my teacher's style is quite consistent across the different classes he teaches. He seems to treat all of his students with respect and have an easy, friendly, and at times fun classroom atmosphere.
REFLECTION
I really enjoy observing in this teacher's classes. I always feel comfortable and I sense that the students feel comfortable with him as well as with me. A big part of it is the fact that the teacher is easy going yet firm when it comes to staying on task and performing school work. I definitely would like to gravitate towards being a firm teacher and still having an ease and approachability about myself. I'd like to have a classroom where students feel safe and comfortable. I'd like the students to perceive me as strict but fair, and also as a teacher who is interested in them and who has a relaxed and easy classroom atmosphere.
Curtis Corner Middle School
OBSERVATION
My co-op teacher's style at this school is also very relaxed and friendly. However, she is a bit stricter and a bit more in control of the classroom as the high school teacher I'm observing. This teacher is extremely focused on the content to be taught and she is not very easly distracted. Her relationship with her students is still very nurturing and warm (they are only 6th graders). She is kind with them but she definitely stays focused on teaching the content. I think that the students perceive her as having almost all of the power in the classroom. However, they don't feel inferior to her. For example, if they've forgotten their science folder in the locker, the teacher always lets them leave the class to go get it. She doesn't scold them for it or punish them in any way. She simply asks them to quickly get their folder and return to the class to learn. The students are young and it's their first year in a middle school. I can tell that they are trying very hard and that they really like their teacher and are trying to please her by being very studious. Her style doesn't vary between classrooms, it stays the same throughout different classes.
REFLECTION
I also really enjoy observing in this teacher's classroom. I feel that I'm getting more experience in classroom management by observing her. In addition, I am learning how staying focused on the topic helps students learn better. For example, this teacher has a simple outline of the lesson on the board and she really follows it quite perfectly. Throughout the lesson, she refers to the board to sort of keep herself paced and to make sure that she's covering what she is supposed to. I think that students are also benefiting from this. They know what is to be learned and they know the order. They also see that the teacher follows the plan. I feel that this creates order and clarity in the class. Also, the teacher is really friendly and very kind with the students. I would like to incorporate some of her teaching strategies in my future classroom. Namely her strong sense of focus and her kindness toward her students.